My diet & detox journal

What I am about to share is my history~
Perhaps it may surprise you, but I believe that we are all wounded healers…

As readers of my blog and friends and family know, for many years (in particular my late teens and early twenties) I was plagued with semi-hypochondria and misunderstanding of the normal functions of my own body. I’m clear that much of this may have been rooted in fear of the unknown, as I was more of a fan of social science, rather than biology and anatomy. It is also likely due to the fact that many of my grandparents suffered from chronic disease and were ill or passed away during those formative years. There was my father’s experience as described below, and add to that my sister’s ulcerative colitis, and my own process of dealing with what was eventually diagnosed as PolyCystic Ovarian Syndrome and irritable bowel syndrome. Putting it all together, you can imagine how difficult it was for me to feel comfortable with general wellness.

I think that the clearest connection I can make to when things started going ’strange’ in my mind was back in 1989, the winter when my father was diagnosed with cancer. He fought it, and won, and over the past 18 years since my father first won his battle with malignant cells in his colon, I’ve spent countless hours counting the blessings of having healthy family members, but fearing my own mortality.

In truth, there is nothing like the reality of life to remind you how precious each day really is. Back in the late 1980s, when I first learned of Dad’s issue, I was unprepared with how to deal with it, or the considerations it would bring up in terms of my own health and wellbeing. Not only did I become significantly obsessed with the prevention of illness, I managed to do the same for every member of my family, at times whether they wished me to do so, or not! However, my father’s subsequent conquering of his colon ills, and his journey to wellness was something that inspired me on my own journey to use natural health care as a means of finding a holistic and healthful way to find peace.

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Ok. I am putting together some thoughts for my upcoming eBook about PCOS, and I thought I would throw everyone a morsel to wet your appetite…Raw foods were a key part of my journey to balance my PCOS. In exchange for a healthy diet, rich in raw fresh foods, I received clear skin, for the first time since late puberty!

Here you go…

Yes, yes, yes. A favorite subject of teenagers, but a sorrowful situation for an adult, right? Blemishes not only make you want to hide your face under a paperbag, but they can even cause scaring and long term damage to your skin.

As a woman with PCOS, I am no stranger to breakouts. Poly Cystic Ovarian Syndrome is often characterized by imbalanced hormones. (Did you know that new statistics are showing that as many as 10% or more of young women are dealing with this disorder?)

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I was pondering a few questions today following a webscussion I took part in on a cleansing forum. So, what’s the relationship between cleansing/detox and rejuvenation? Does one need to take a cleanse with a rejuvenating product as well? Can diet be sufficient? Does a raw food or whole food diet give us all we need?

I wrote an article on this topic, which you can find here on my weblog. This is something that we talk a lot about at work, having recently launched some newer product which is incidentally called ‘Renew’. Products which support our body’s nutrient intake, both vitamin, mineral, as well as additional micronutrients like amino acids and essential fatty acids are key to the process of rejuvenation. You can find lots of quality product out there, but is it essential is what I asked myself.

HEre’s my two cents on this question. Even though I do, for my full time job represent a manufacturer of dietary supplements, one which is particularly sucessful selling cleansing products and kits, I don’t believe that its necessarily a PRODUCT that’s key to the cleansing and detoxification process, otherwise for centuries, how did our ancestors cleanse, detoxify and rejuvenate.

As a digestive care educator and cleansing advocate, my feeling is that a healthy diet is crucial to the detoxification process. On the other hand, diet OR dietary supplements can provide your body the tools it needs to cleanse, and in particular, STRENGTHEN our system so that we are better able to cope with what the environment and lifestyle we lead throws at us.

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